Does Obama think we are all Muppets?

From European Voice's Entre-Nous column

6/3/09, 9:08 PM CET

Updated 4/23/14, 8:56 PM CET

US president may not be taking his relationship with Europe all that seriously.

Europe’s love-affair with US President Barack Obama remains undimmed, with both French President Nicolas Sarkozy and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown eagerly awaiting his visit on 6 June to commemorate the D-Day landings (not least in the hope that their appearance alongside him will boost their own flagging popularity ratings).

Like any insecure partners, however, EU governments can still be prone to anxiety that Obama does not take the relationship seriously. Only last week there were mutterings of discontent from Germany that Obama sent only a relatively junior treasury department official to negotiate on the future of carmaker Opel.

Such concerns are unlikely to be quelled by Obama’s selection of his new ambassador to France – Charles Rivkin, a former producer of children’s TV programmes. Highlights from Rivkin’s career include heading up the Jim Henson Company, which gave the world “The Muppet Show”, and being executive producer of “Yo Gabba Gabba”, a popular show on American TV hosted by DJ Lance Rock.

Rivkin does not have previous diplomatic experience, but was a major donor to Obama’s election campaign. The French establishment may be piqued at not being considered worthy of a diplomatic heavyweight. Alternatively, the TV-obsessed Sarkozy may be thrilled that his dream of a guest-spot on “Yo Gabba Gabba” has come closer to realisation.